And Dustin Penner certainly has a future with the Anaheim Ducks, along with players like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, his linemates.

But Penner, rookie that he is, has been around long enough to know the rules of the NHL trade market: there aren't any.

"It's nerve-wracking for just about everybody," the Winkler native said from Anaheim yesterday.

"If Wayne Gretzky can get traded twice, I don't think anybody's safe. Everybody in this league is, to some extent, a commodity."

That's why Penner, who scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season Monday night, had his eyes glued to the TV and the internet as yesterday's trade deadline came and went.

Ducks GM Brian Burke had said he wouldn't deal his young talent, and he didn't, even though the Ducks are coming off a month in which they've struggled.

Maybe wins over San Jose and Colorado the previous two days calmed things in the Duck pond.

"You just worry about what you can control," Penner said. "We just focused on winning our last couple of games. A lot of teams in the West added to their teams. Our team is turning the corner ... we'll be ready in time for playoffs."